William murchland



modem W. MURCHLAND.

APPARATUS FORMILKING Cows.`

110.501,804. f Patented Ju1y1`81'893.

Witness es mwerd'c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

lVILLIAll/I MURCI-ILAND, OF KILMARNOOK, SCOTLAND.

APPARATUS FOR IVIILKING COWS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 501,804, dated July 18,1893.

Application filed I'ebruary 3, 1891. Serial No. 380.051. (No model.)Patented in England September 27, 18391 NO- 15121@ and in France July 9|1890, No. 206,887.

To a/ZZ whom zitA may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MUECHLAND, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain and Ireland, and a resident of Kilmarnock, county of Ayr,Scotland, have invented certain Improvements in the Milking of Cows andApparatus'l`herefor, (for which I have obtained British Letters Patent,dated September 27, 1889, No. 15,210, and French patent, dated July 9,1890, No. 206,887,) of which the following is a specification.

My said invention consists of an improved means for milking cows, and sothat while operating more naturally and less roughly, to be moreeconomical than the ordinary milking process.

In carrying out my invention suction is applied to the cows teats, butone special feature of my arrangements is that the milk is not drawnthrough a pump. According to another important feature of my inventionthe degree of suction or vacuum which is used is regulated by a columnofliquid. Pumping or equivalent means is employed to produce thesuction,beingin some cases required only when starting the milkingoperation. A

On anaccompanying sheet of drawings Figures 1, and 2, are sectionalelevations at right angles to each other of my apparatus applicable toexisting byres of a common kind.

According to my invention I arrange two tanks, 11, 12, connected by apipe, 13, with one, 11, at the distance above the other of about twelvefeet or at such a height as to allow of there being a column of water inthe pipe and tanks corresponding to the degree of vacuum or suckingaction which it is considered desirable to apply to the cows teats. Theupper tank, 11, which is otherwise closed, has connected to its top apipe, 14, a branch pipe, 15, by which it is connected to a pump, 16; andthe pipe, 14, also communicates with main pipes, 17, extending alongover lthe stalls of the byre, and having stopcocks, 1S, to which branchiiexible pipes, 19, can be attached. Whenthe pump-,16,isworked it drawsair from the upper tank, 11, and from the pipes, 14, 17, and also fromany flexible branch pipe, 19, when its stopcock, 18, is open; but thedegree of vacuum cannot exceed what corresponds to the column of Waterin the pipe, 13,

connecting the upper and lower tanks, 11, 12, because air would pass upthe pipe, 13, immediately on the intended degree of vacuum beingexceeded.

Mouthpieces or teat cups, 20, are provided for application to the cowsteats. Each teat cup, 20, is fitted with a stopcock, 21, on the nozzleof which a short length of flexible tubing, 22, can be secured. The.other ends of the tubes, 22, are secured to a milk receptacle orcollector, 24. The combination of teat cups, 20, and milk receptacle,24, forms the subject of Letters Patent of the United States No. 473,770, dated April 26, 1892, and is therein fully described.

The sucking action or exhaustion may be produced in any suitable knownway provided that the degree of vacuum is regulated by means of a columnof liquid of suitable vertical length, whereby the degree of vacuum isprevented from becoming excessive. For example the upper tank, l1, maybe nearly filled with water by pumping-or by gravitation where a supplyby gravitation is available,-the column pipe, 13,being closed whilelling the tank, 11, and provision being made for the escape of air. Thenwhen the apparatus is to operate, any openings by which air mightre-enter being closed, the stopcock on the pipe, 13, is opened and thewater flowing down that pipe produces the required sucking action. Inmany cases it will be convenient to provide two upper tanks, 1l, withconnecting pipes and stop-cocks arranged so that one may be filled whilethe other is in action and being emptied.

It will be understood that while the degree of suction may not beabsolutely constant, it is maintained approximately uniform so as topractically regulate the suction to a degree lsuch as is due to theaction of a column of water of about twelve feet. In the case where thesuction or exhaustion is produced by first nearly filling the upper tank11 With water by pumping and then allowing it to flow out, as abovedescribed, the water pump (not'the air pump 16) may be used tosupplywater to the tank 11 either without intermission or at shorter orlonger intervals, dependent upon IOO the capacity of the apparatus andparticularly upon the size of tank 11 employed.

When the air pump 16 is employed to produce the sucking action, theautomatic regulating eifect due to the column of water in the pipe 13may be maintained more nearly constant.

Where the situation of a byre or milking station is conveniently suchthat a fall of about twelve feet below the milking Hoor is obtainable,the production of suction in the apparatus by means of the pump, 16,will be required only at startingthe operation. In applying my inventionin such a situation separate milk receptacles, one for each cow, willnot be used,but the several sets of teat cupswill be connected to a mainpipe leading to one general receptacle at the lower level and the columnof liquid (of a height of about twelve feet) which Will maintain andregulate the suctionwill be that of the milk itself.

It will be seen that by my invention the defects heretofore existing inthis class of devices is entirely overcome, because the in j uriousaction upon the cows is wholly prevented by keeping the suction down tothat point which I have found vby experiment to accomplish the objectsought.

I claim as my inventionl. In a milking apparatus operated by suction thecombination with the air exhausting apparatus, of one or more milkreceptacles and a liquid -column for automatically preventing excess ofsuction, said column being separate and distinct from the milkreceptacles whereby the milk is drawn without admixture with thecontrolling liquid in said column, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a milking apparatusadapted to be worked by suctionwith means for regulating the degree of suction, independent of the milkreceptacles said `means consisting of a downwardly extending pipe havingits upper end connected to parts of the apparatus in which the suctionacts, its lower end being open when the apparatus is in operation andsuch pipe being of a length to contain a liquid column of an eifectiveheight (such as twelve feet) corresponding to

